Swimmers excel at champs

TOP EFFORT: Kate Sims, left, and Noemi Leinfellner display their medals.

Masterton swimmers shone on the national stage at the State New Zealand junior swimming championships held in Wellington last weekend.

The 16-strong team aged 12 years and under won 13 medals, gained 22 other top 10 placings and swam 37 personal best times. Masterton's presence was strongly felt throughout the three-day meet with the club placing seventh overall out of 98 clubs.

Multiple medal winners were outstanding 12-year-old girls Kate Sims and Noemi Leinfellner. Sims won gold in the 200m butterfly in 2.36.69, swimming a tactical race to prevail by almost 4s over two rivals from Auckland and Northland. She took bronze in the 400m freestyle behind Leinfellner who claimed the silver in a remarkable race for Masterton in the opening event of the meet.

Sims helped the Wellington A medley relay team to a silver medal, breaking the Wellington record in a close race against Auckland. She also picked up a bronze as part of the Wellington B 4 by 50m freestyle relay team.

Leinfellner won gold as part of the Wellington A freestyle relay team which edged out Auckland in a thrilling race, setting a Wellington record. She added a silver medal in the 200m freestyle in 2.17.44, taking more than 3s off her previous time. An impressive 100m freestyle swim earned her a third silver medal where she improved from a fifth-seeded position.

Oliver Donaldson (12) played pivotal roles in the Wellington A freestyle and medley relays, winning gold over Auckland in the freestyle relay, setting a Wellington record. His team took silver in the medley relay, just eight hundreds of a second behind Auckland in another Wellington record.

Adding to Masterton's medal tally were impressive pair of 10-year-old girls Eternal Thompson and Siena Cockburn. Thompson took silver in the 200m backstroke, clocking 2.52.42, 7s under her previous best time, and added a bronze in the 50m butterfly. Cockburn, swimming at her first national meet, impressed in the 50m and 100m freestyle, claiming bronze medals in both events.

Their performances at the championships earned Sims, Leinfellner, Thompson and Cockburn selection for Swimming New Zealand's National Junior Development Programme, including a camp in June which will also be attended by Masterton coaches Anna Kitching and Vanessa Dale.

Tom Parker (11) gained four top 10 placings, fifth in the 200m and 100m breaststroke, seventh in the 200m backstroke and ninth in the 50m breaststroke, setting Wairarapa records in all four events.

Robert Rossiter-Stead (10) swam three personal best times, finishing 10th in the 50m butterfly, and took 6s off his 200m backstroke time to finish 15th.

Zachary Hullah (11) swam three personal best times, finishing 13th in the 50m backstroke while breaking the under-12 boys Wairarapa record.

Swimming more than 10s under her personal best time, Jessie Parker (12) finished the 400m freestyle in 20th place and was 12th in the 400m individual medley.

Mika Tobias (11) swam personal best times in the 100m and 50m butterfly, finishing 16th in both events.

Swimming in their first national meet, Gracie Donaldson and Lilly Hamill-Harris (both 10), swam three and two personal best times respectively.

Also stepping up to the national level for the first time, Samuel Dale (10) swam personal best times in his three breaststroke events. Other newcomers Amy Rossiter-Stead (12) and Ryan Sullivan swam strongly in their 50m butterfly events, with Rossister-Stead also contesting the 200m butterfly. Tabitha Leinfellner (10) swam a personal best in the 200m breaststroke. Masterton Swimming Club head coach Anna Kitching said the results had exceeded expectations.